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2013 11-29 SB Channel-East

Several breaches were observed from a local "prop scar" whale today.

Prop Scar Humpback whale breaches again today.

With at least 500 common dolphins in the area all day long, and between 5 and 6 Minke whales, the Condor Express ventured to the feeding grounds again today. Regular readers of the blog will know that we frequently see a mature humpback whale with a very pronounced and deep propeller scar, and yesterday it breached several times. In fact, this particular individual seems to breach more frequently than some of its buddies around here. Well, sure enough, we watched "Prop Scar" and its companion for about 30 minutes today as the two whales moved around at a fairly quick speed, taking a jagged course in no particular set direction. After 30 minutes, and out of nowhere, catching everyone completely by surprise, the beast got airborne right alongside the boat and hit the water with a monstrous thump. Wow. A few minutes later, it breached again. What a treat.

Conditions were variable today, with light rain just outside the harbor for a few minutes. Then the sun came out and the clouds moved northwest and sea conditions were still quite flat. There was a strong west swell all day, but it was a long interval swell and we hardly felt a thing on the boat. During the later part of the trip we ran far to the east looking for more humpbacks, and quickly ran into very choppy seas with white caps everywhere. We turned around and got re-located on our two humpbacks and by then a third humpback had joined the fun. Back near shallow water the sea conditions got much better.

1 of 6 images in a sequence showing a powerful breach by the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) we call "Prop Scar." In this frame the beast has left the water and is fully airborne. Notice the water streaming off the ventral grooves and large pectoral flipper.

5 of 6 images in a sequence showing a powerful breach by the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) we call "Prop Scar." Only part of the belly and a pectoral flipper is still in sight as the foamy splash begins to rise.